Tupac Shakur also known as 2pac or Makaveli is one of the most well-known and best-selling rappers of all time. Even though he made many hit records that we could bump to, music was also a way that he kept people woke to what was and still is going on in Amerikkka. Tupac was ahead of his time and realized early on in his life the changes that needed to be made in Amerikkka. Activism comes in many different forms, and Tupac demonstrates his activism by spilling all the tea on Amerikkka in his song “Words of Wisdom” that was released in 1991 on his debut album 2pacalypse Now.
Tupac is well known for his later albums Me Against the World and All Eyez on Me released in 1995 and 1996; therefore, his debut album is often overlooked and slept on. However, this song “Words of Wisdom,” and his entire album calls attention to the things occurring both in Amerikkkan society and the Black community.
After listening to the lyrics and reading the analysis of this song, you will understand why I spell Amerikkka the way I do.
[Intro]
Killing us one by one In one way or another America will find a way to eliminate the problem One by one The problem is the troublesome black youth of the ghetto’s And one by one We are being wiped off the face of this earth At an extremely alarming rate
Tupac is emphasizing that Black people walk around with this X on their back every day. Amerikkka is killing us one by one because we are seen as a problem. Because of the stereotypes developed against us, we are labeled as a “threat to society.” People are threatened by our skin color because of the way humans are conditioned in society. The Amerikkkan society conditions its citizens to create and believe false stereotypes so that Black people are feared. Because of the targets on our backs, police brutality, mass incarceration, drugs, and the deaths in our own communities, we are being wiped off the face of this earth every day. Current statistics show that Black people are 3x more likely to be killed by police than white people. Also, fewer than 1 and 3 Black people killed by police in Amerikkka were suspected by a violent crime and allegedly armed. This statistic further supports the argument that we are being killed simply because our skin color is a threat. Overall, Tupac is explaining that Black people are endangered.
[Intro continued]
And even more alarming is the fact That we are not fighting back Brothers, sisters, niggas When I say “nigga” it is not the nigga we have grown to fear It is not the nigga we say as if it has no meaning But to me it means Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished, nigga Niggas, what are we going to do? Walk blind into a line or fight Fight and die if we must die, like niggas
Tupac says, “we are not fighting back.” When he says “we” he is referring to other Black people who are not woke to what is going on and throw things like police brutality and mass incarceration under the rug. Some Black people act like the oppression we face in Amerikkka is normal; therefore, they do not fight back to change the way we are being treated by society. Black people act like they don’t care about their own people being killed every day at an alarming rate unless it is happening to them or to someone they know personally. However, it should not be that way. We should fight for the rights of our people even if it is not affecting us personally. Tupac is stating that Black people need to start being activists for their brothers, sisters, and niggas. We need to support each other.
Tupac uses brothers, sisters, and niggas as words we should refer to each other as, as if we are blood-related. All Black people are connected by the racism we face in society. We all go through the same struggles just in a different way; therefore, we are brothers and sisters.
Furthermore, Tupac changes the meaning of the derogatory term “nigga” into a positive term that we can call each other. Historically, the word nigga is seen as a racial slur; however, Tupac creates an acronym for the word so that it can be used as a word of endearment. The irony is that he changes the definition to the exact opposite of what it originally meant. The literal meaning of the word nigger or nigga is ignorant. However, Tupac states that nigga stands for Never Ignorant Always Getting Goals Accomplished.
Last, Tupac asks, “Niggas what are we going to do?” He has already stated before that we are not fighting back; therefore, he is asking how are we going to make changes. He is asking whether we are going to act as if we are blind to the injustice that occurs to our own people, or fight even if dying is the end result. In the end, when he says die like niggas, he is explaining that if we fight for our rights and end up dying, then we are truly niggas because we accomplished the goal of bringing awareness to social injustice by not being ignorant.
[Verse 1]
This is for the masses, the lower classes The ones you left out, jobs were giving, better living But we were kept out Made to feel inferior, but we’re superior Break the chains in our brains that made us fear ya
Tupac refers to how the government segregated neighborhoods, which left many Black families in the projects also known as low incoming housing. In the past, the government has passed laws and created redlining policies so the suburbs could be created. This left Black people in the inner city, which explains how the ghettos (a part of a city, especially a slum area, occupied by a minority group or groups.) were created. Tupac refers to the government redlining policies again when he states in his verse that Black people were left out and kept out, which left many Black families in the lower class. Moreover, Tupac explains that we were made to feel inferior, but we are superior. This society conditions Black people to think they are inferior. However, we are superior because despite all the barriers we come across in life as Black people in Amerikkka, we are unstoppable. This society has not been able to keep us down after everything we have faced. Last, Tupac is telling Black people to be fearless and break the chains in our brains that make us fear people in society that have oppressed us. For example, we are conditioned to fear police because of how they oppressed us; however, Tupac is telling us to be fearless despite the feeling of fear we are conditioned to have.
[Verse 1 continued]
Pledge allegiance to a flag that neglects us Honor a man that that refuses to respect us Emancipation Proclamation? Please! Lincoln just said that to save the nation These are lies that we all accepted Say no to drugs but the governments’ kept it Running through our community, killing the unity The war on drugs is a war on you and me And yet, they say this is the Home of The Free But if you ask me, it’s all about hypocrisy The constitution, yo, it don’t apply to me And Lady Liberty? Stupid bitch lied to me
Tupac tackles the topic of being patriotic in a country that does not respect Black people. He is saying that we pledge allegiance to a flag/country that does not even show respect to Black people as citizens of the United States. We are treated as guests in our own country. Furthermore, Tupac is referring to historical figures such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as men that we honor in our history classes, but in reality, they did not care about Black people. Lincoln did not issue the Emancipation Proclamation because he cared about the slaves. As Tupac stated, Lincoln issued it to save the nation. Tupac explains these are all lies we have accepted by our educational system. On the other hand, Tupac reveals the use of drugs in the Black community was caused by the government. Black people clearly did not bring drugs into their own communities. Drugs were clearly brought into the Black community as a set up to increase the incarceration of Black people. It is coincidental that the drug crisis appeared AFTER Nixon declared the war on drugs. This is because the CIA allowed drugs to be smuggled into Black communities. This is why Tupac said, “the war on drugs is a war on you and me.”
Ultimately, the war on drugs the Nixon administration issued was targeted towards Blacks and other minority groups. Also, Malcolm X, in his autobiography, explains how we have been set up by the white people and the government to accept drugs and alcohol in our communities, and we didn’t even realize it. “This is what they do! They send drugs in Harlem down here to pacify us! They send alcohol down here to pacify us! They send prostitution down here to pacify us! Why you can’t even get drugs in Harlem without the White Man’s permission! You can’t get prostitution in Harlem without the White Man’s permission! You can’t get gambling in Harlem without the White Man’s permission! Every time you break the seal on that liquor bottle, that’s a Government seal you’re breaking! Oh, I say and I say it again, ya been had! Ya been took! Ya been hoodwinked! Bamboozled! Led astray! Run amok! This is what He does….” - Malcolm X
Furthermore, Tupac calls Amerikkka out on its hypocrisy. He explains that Amerikkka is supposed to be the home of the free, but Black people are not free in Amerikkka. We do not have any rights in this country. The constitution grants us our basic freedoms, but we are denied many of those basic freedoms because white supremacy reigns in Amerikkka. Last, Tupac says Lady Liberty lied to him. Lady Liberty is supposed to be another representation of Liberty and Freedom for all, but those are two things Black people still do not have in Amerikkka.
[Verse 1 continued]
This made me strong, and no one’s gonna like what I’m pumpin’ But it’s wrong to keep someone from learning something So get up, it’s time to start nation building I’m fed up, we gotta start teach the children That they can be all that they wanna to be There’s much more to life than just poverty.
Tupac knows that some people are going to disagree with some of the things he says in this song, but he knows it’s more important to educate others about the underlying issues in Amerikkka. Also, he refers to Black children not knowing anything to life except for being poor and Black; however, Tupac is saying there is so much more to life and Black people can have the same opportunities as everyone else in this country.
This article is a part of The Music w/ a Message Series and was originally published on December 16th, 2017 on Tumblr.